Design of Early Warning Flood Detection Systems for Developing Countries

In developing countries, flooding due to natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes results in massive loss of life and property. Warning communities of the incoming flood provides an effective solution to this by giving people sufficient time to evacuate and protect their property. However, the range of early warning system solutions introduces a tangle of conflicting requirements including cost and reliability, and creates several interesting problems from factors as diverse as technological, social, and political. The complexity of these systems and need for autonomy within the context of a developing country while remaining maintainable and accessible by nontechnical personnel provides a challenge not often solved within developed countries, much less the developing. After describing this problem, the paper discusses a proposed solution for the problem, initial experiments in implementing the solution, and lessons learned through that work.